Sheikh Saleh Kamel was born in 1941 in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. He completed his education at Riyadh University, graduating from the Faculty of Commerce. He joined the Ministry of Finance, and in the early nineteen sixties left this position to establish his own business, Dallah Albaraka Group (DBG). In the nineteen eighties, Shiekh Saleh Kamel founded Albaraka Investment & Development Company, a holding company through which a number of Islamic banks and financial companies had been established around the world.

Shiekh Saleh Kamel is recognized as pioneer of Islamic Finance. He has written many articles, and lectured widely on the topic. He is also the Chairman of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions and a member of a number of social and non-profit organizations.

In recognition of the remarkable achievements of Dallah Albaraka companies in furthering national economies of developing countries, Sheikh Saleh Kamel's personal efforts to promote Islamic banking and his vision for creating job opportunities, he has been awarded many honorary titles and prizes, including the following:

• King Abdul Aziz First Order Decoration for Prominent Businessmen, 2001
• Alawi Decoration of Morocco, presented by HRM King Mohammad V in 2001
• Gulf Businessman Award, 1993, Government of Dubai
• Islamic Banker Award, 1995 Islamic Development Bank
• Lifetime Achievement Award, 1996 and 2005, Ernst & Young
• Jordanian Independence Decoration, 1986, First Order
• Honorary Title of "Datuk Seri", 2003, Malaysia
• Banker of the Year Award from the Union of Arab Banks, 1996, Lebanon